Our "Babymoon" to Montreal was delightful.  We stayed at a terrific apartment-style B&B, with a separate kitchen/bar room and a jacuzzi tub in our room.  The house cat "Squishy" was very large and fluffy.  He seemed a bit befuddled by the bulldog that another guest had brought along.  Outside our bedroom was a lovely deck with beach chairs, porch swings, outdoor grilling and dinner tables.  It was terrific because we still felt like we were on vacation even when we were just hanging out at home. 

Our host was really nice and full of helpful information.  He reminded us of a friend from back home, down to his skull-themed bowling shirt and enormous cat.  It wasn't at all out of character when he showed us where the pot was stashed at the end of our tour....

                        LOL this cat!>>>>

Our first full day there, we went to Mount Royal Park.  There were nice walking paths, but it was a lot of uphill to get to the viewing terrace where you can see all of the city laid out below.  I took it very slow and made lots of stops to rest and drink water.  The view was worth it, though!

One odd thing about the park is that there are very brave squirrels that will come up and eat out of your hand.  Many, many tourists thought this was the best thing ever.  You'd see crowds of people standing around staring at a squirrels. 

<<<<Notre Dame

I had been to Montreal once before, and insisted that we do two things: visit Notre Dame Basilica and the Golden Lion Tamarins at the Biodome. 

Notre Dame is this incredibly elaborate church, with spectacular gilt details and an equally amazing chapel in the back.  It has this wonderful sense of being sacred, even if you are not Catholic (or Christian, or even any kind of religious), and despite the crowds of tourists wandering through and taking photos. 

The Biodome is located at the Olympic Park, and is this wonderful indoor zoo that has incredibly realistic habitats for the animals.  You really feel like you are in a tropical rainforest, with birds swooping overhead, and monkeys jumping through nearby trees.  Our visit also included some special Ring Tail Lemurs who were on loan to the zoo.   My favorite critters are still the little orange monkeys, though, I wish I could bring one home! 

                        I heart the monkeys! >>>>

The last time I was in Montreal was in October of 2001, so I didn't get to visit the Botanical Gardens.  We made sure to go this time, and it was the absolute perfect time of year.  Everything was in bloom, including a fabulous collection of dahlias that my mother-in-law would have adored.  There was also a relatively explicit statue of lovers tucked into a side courtyard.  I sat for a while just watching people interact with it.  Most entertaining was the couple who approached it with humor: she took a picture of him holding the copious bronze breasts of a scorned woman. 

The best things about Montreal, however, are the things you can't really photograph: the open-minded spirit represented by that sculpture and the fabulous gay section of town, the kindness of all the people we met, including the many strangers who offered me a seat on the subway, and the delightful tastes and scents of the many fantastic restaurants we enjoyed.  If you haven't been to Montreal, you should definitely go.